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HMS Belfast, the last Second World War Royal Navy ship in her class,
turns 75 tomorrow, and veterans have returned to the decks to toast her.

John Harrison served on the battle cruiser when she first went into action. He
described the moment in 1939 when a German magnetic mine hit the bottom of
the ship and sent him flying from the turret, where he was working as an
ordnance officer. The mine had broken the Belfast’s keel, wrecked one
of her engines and injured 21 crew. Mr Harrison was “thrown 16 feet in the
air”. He said: “I’m